and will take on a different relevance today. so the car is traveling right now. we just watchedpopebenedictleavethe vatican. there they are moving along. >> straight to the helicopter is where they're headed. let's go to christiane amanpour and father irwin who are in rome right now sort of in the middle of all of that clapping and celebrating we just saw, christiane. >> reporter: indeed. and off he goes in that car, as you said, at a pretty brisk clip. he's going to the helipad which i'm told is at the vatican train station, if you can believe it and you know better than i that there is a vatican train station. he'll get on the helicopter and go. i just came from the north american college where i interviewed cardinal dolan about half an hour ago and he said, cardinal dolan, that him and many of the other cardinals, the american elected cardinals who are going to be staying there are going to go up to the roof to see if they can see the helicopter taking off. we've already seen cardinal turkson of ghana has joined the twitter revolution and he himself from the top of st. peter's behind m

. >> reporter:popebenedict16says he will be quitting february 28, less than 8 years into his papacy. he said his strength has deteriorated the last couple months and he noted a lack of strength to fulfill his mission. the senior sa senior advisor sae noticed the pope slowing down. we watched pope john paul ii suffer through the last few years of his papacy. maybe he wanted to avoid that. the former cardinal joseph ratzinger was touched by the charges of child abuse in the catholic church. bill: what happens next on the dates that are aren't? >> reporter: he's leaving february 28, 8:00 p.m. local time in rome. that leaves that very important vacancy and sets up a conclave of cardinals. vatican says by mid-march at the latest. vatican says we should have a new pope by esther sunday march 31. pope benedict will not take part in the conclave. usually a conclave happens after a pope dies. 1415 was the last time a pope quit in office. who is the next pope? he could come from developing areas of the world. it guarantees a lot of drama and a lot of black or white smoke coming from the roof is sistin

the vatican today as tens of thousands crowded st. peter's square for one ofpopebenedictxvifinal public appearances. the pope will set step down 11 days from now, setting in motion the search for a new leader and maybe a new direction for the catholic church. nbc's anne thompson is at the vatican tonight with more. anne? >> reporter: good evening, lester. tonight, the pope is on a week-long lenten retreat inside the vatican with the days of his papacy numbered. now, every public appearance of benedict's is a must-see event. for more than 50,000 people, this was the only place to be, a global villageful the faithful and curious in st. peter's square to say thank you and good-bye to pope benedict xvi. >> as soon as he resigned, i knew i definitely wanted to come and witness it. >> reporter: 20-year-old thaddius howard of georgia brought an american flag. >> i wanted to let the pope know that he is supported by all of us from america. >> reporter: in six different languages, benedict addressed the crowd. >> thank you for the prayers and support you have shown me. >> reporter:? german, he s

some even made the pope laugh as he reached out to them. and in just a couplehours,benedictwilldepart the vatican for the last time as pope. he will take off from the helipad just behind the st. peter's basilica there. and vatican television cameras will follow the journey, live, robin. >> what history you're witnessing, george. you're going to be there all morning long, live. >>> and here, with josh, sam, bianna in for lara. we have a full morning here in new york as well. we are going to bring you the latest encouraging headlines for your wallet. the dow surging near record highs. bianna's going to bring us that. >>> and how about this? the hairstylist at war over a fortune. the co-workers said they bought the ticket as a group. one of them claimed the whole prize for herself. and that would never happen here. >> mostly never. >> full morning ahead. >>> of course, let's go back, now, to george in rome. george? >> and it is just a glorious day here, robin. sunny, warm. almost spring-like. those cardinals that the pope met with this morning have already begun their informa

. >>> we do have breaking news this morning. shocking news, really.popebenedictxviisresigning. a spokesman will not reveal way. fatigue and possibly declining health over the past year, but, again, no reason has been given. he became pope in 2005. you will remember, he had been joseph rat singer, cardinal, a major figure at the vatican for years before he became pope benedict. german born. been pope for nearly eight years. nearly eight years and this is just a major, major bit of news this morning. coming out of the vatican, again, cnn confirming the pope will step down on february 28th, which is just a little over two weeks from today. >> and no clear reason. we're trying to get more details to share those with you. this is shocking. this is shocking, absolutely shocking. we'll continue to watch the developments for you, folks. 6:00. the painstaking cleanup getting under way after a violent tornado ripped through mississippi tearing apart homes, businesses and even causing damage to a university campus. a storm chaser occasi e er -- l. capture these images. this is 100 miles

the successor topopebenedictafterthat shocking decision yesterday to step down. and another big story we're following is back at home, because the president is putting the finishing touches on the first state of the union speech of his second term. and we'll have a lot more on that coming up in this hour. but this morning, we are starting to get new information about pope benedict, and particularly about his health. decisions that may have played into his shocking announcement to abdicate. for example, we now know this morning, the pope has had a pacemaker for some time and actually had a minor operation to replace its batteries three months ago. we're also hearing for the first time about a fall he took while he was on a trip to cuba in mexico. just hours after his announcement, this video circulated. you can see it shows lightning striking st. peter's basilica, maybe leading some catholics to wonder if it was some sort of sign from above. a sign of what, that's also a source of speculation here. i'm joined by elizabeth lev here in rome. good to see you. >> great to be here. it's a real

and makes us new." justahead,benedict's health,his replacement, and what's next for the catholic church. "newsroom" starts now. >>> good morning. thank you so much for joining me. i'm carol costello. we begin with a bombshell greeting 1 billion catholics around the world. their spiritual leader, pope benedict xvi stepping down at the end of the month. we're bringing you all the angles of this developing story. joining me now for this hour's special coverage, chris cuomo, he's in new york. >> good morning, carol. great to joining here. >>> shocking news because this simply hasn't been done. it's been almost 600 years since a pope resigned. it was gregory xii. it was to end the civil war. the question becomes why is pope benedict doing this now? we're going to get reaction first because no one saw this coming, certainly in this country. let's start off our coverage with deb feyerick in st. patrick's cathedral in new york city, the center of the american catholic tradition here. deb, what are you hearing this morning? what a shocker. >> reporter: it's fascinating because the resignation to

really surprised. >> reporter:popebenedicthadbeen looking frail recently, using a moveable platform during services, so he wouldn't have to walk. relying on a cane. the pope wants more rest, said his 89-year-old brother in germany. he said his brother has been thinking about stepping down for months. and had been advised by his doctors not to take anymore long, international flights, such as a planned trip to brazil in july. the pope's decision is unprecedented in modern times. the last similar case was pope celestine v, who had praise for pope benedict today. >> he has given church the last great service he will give the church. he's stepping off the stage when he feels he can't exercise the office of peter. >> reporter: benedict seemed to many a reluctant pope, as cardinal ratzinger under john paul ii, he was known as a conservative guardian of church doctrine, opposing women priests, abortion and homosexuality. as pope, he inherited the church's biggest scandal in decades. revelations that priests had sexually abused children. he met with victims and apologized. >> for all, i exp

[noaudio]>>benedictthe16th reps of his final hours. here he is saying goodbye to the cardinals of the catholic church. >> in eight hours time, pope benedict xvi will no longer be head of the catholic church. >> you are watching al jazeera live from our headquarters. a special tribunal in bangladesh sentences and islamic party leader to death for war crimes. pushing for the stalemate in syria. extra aid to opposition groups. the private mission to mars. only married couples need apply. >> benedict xvi is fending his last -- spending his last few hours as pope. saying his final farewell to church cardinals right now. pope benedict is the first church leader in six centuries to step down. he says poor health has presented him -- has prevented him from continuing his term. what do we expect to happen? once he stands down, he will assume the new title pope emeritus. the vatican says he will continue to use his papal title rather than reverting to -- he will also have to change what he wears. the simple white people rope will remain. his ring and the papal seal, they will be destroye

>>> breaking news we have been telling you about.popebenedictxviresigning february 28th. he is citing ill health. and uncertainty what that ill health will be. we're trying to get more details. unprecedented. >> hasn't happened in 600 years. so many questions. so much now that needs to happen with electing the new pope. we'll bring you the information coming up on "starting point" a few seconds from now. that's "early start." i'm john berman. >> i'm sfwlor azoraida sambolin. "starting point" with soledad o'brien starts right now. >>> we begin with breaking news. pope benedict xvi resigning. age and fatigue are the reasons behind his resignation. here is what the statement reads in part "both strength of mind and body are necessary. strength which in the last few months has deteriorated in me to the extent that i have had to recognize my incapacity to adequately fulfill the ministry entrusted to me." this tweet came from the pope's account 23 hours ago. we must trust in the mitty power of god's mercy. we are all sinners, but his grace transforms us and makes us new. this woul

ofbenedictxvi.it began as a routine vatican ceremony, but the pope's announcement in latin was anything but routine. "i have come to the certainty that my strengths, due to an advanced age, are no longer suited to an adequate exercise of the papal ministry." with that, for the first time in 600 years, a pope is resigning. benedict xvi was already old, 78, when he became pope. that was 2005. here he is almost eight years later, clearly frail and feeble. his older brother, father georg ratzinger, said today benedict is having trouble walking and had been advised by his doctors to stop traveling overseas. benedict will relinquish his papacy on february 28th. >> today's decision by benedict xvi came as a huge surprise to me, and, i think, to everyone in rome and everyone in the vatican. >> reporter: as a cardinal, joseph ratzinger was known as john paul ii's enforcer of religious doctrine. he did not like answering questions. here's abc's brian ross asking him about a sexual abuse case in 2002. >> reporter: the question was -- >> come to me when the moment is given. but not yet. >> reporter

in modern times think resignation is acceptable or not.popebenedictsaid,in fact, made it very clear that being able to resign was acceptable and made this part of the statement released from the vatican, both strength of mind and body is necessary, and lots of questions, of course. we know the date he would be stepping down, which would be february 28th. many questions about why now? mep notice that the pope is much more frail in recent months, and the question would be unbelie unbelievably unusual. let's go to nic robertson joining us by phone. nic, lots of questions. nic live in london this morning. a bit of a stunner. was there any indication that this resignation was coming? >> absolutely none whatsoever, and the last few months, the pope started a twitter account, not what you expect the pope to do when he would say his pope is deteriorating. the pope has looked deep into his conscience, this is a personal and profound decision that he has made with god in light of the responsibilities he has. and the other thing we heard from the papal spokesperson, which is interesting, becau

pope there are new details aboutpopebenedict's dayto day living when he retires at the end of the month. danielle nottingham brings us the latest from the vatican. >> reporter: the vatican revealed pope benedict's closest aide will remain his private secretary and will also run the new pope's household. the duel role for the monsignor is raising questions about how much influence benedict will have over his successor. >> no one has said exactly what he's going to do and it's going to be benedict who decides what does and doesn't do. even the pope's brother has suggested the new pope would be wise to consult the former pope from time to time. >> reporter: the pope told the priest in rome thursday morning he'll be hidden from view after stepping down. the holy father says he'll live a life of prayer at a former monastery inside the vatican walls. even though pope benedict is expected to be out of sight, images of him will be around the vatican for many years to come. tourists who make the pilgrimage here buy all sorts of religious souvenirs. many items still feature pope jo

>>> on our broadcast tonight, stepping down. the stunning news from the vatican,popebenedictannounceshe is resigning. the first to step aside in more than 700 years. as 1 billion catholics are left wondering why, what it means for the church, and who might replace him. >>> the fugitive. the ex cop terrorizing southern california. families of 50 fellow officers are being protected around the clock. a reward now up to $1 million. >>> the big digs, people snowed under and waiting for help. plus a direct hit from a tornado in the south. >>> and a genuine american hero. the incredible story how he saved so many lives, fighting back tears today as he received this nation's highest award for military valor. "nightly news" begins now. >>> from nbc news world headquarters in new york, this is "nbc nightly news" with brian williams. >>> good evening. it came out of nowhere. and it stunned the over 1 billion catholics around the world when the pope announced early this morning, our time, he is stepping down, abdicating. this hasn't happened in seven centuries. pope benedict has served

the vatican. why didpopebenedictreallysay he is stepping down? and what does it mean for a billion catholics around the world? >>> in ruins. a tornado roaring up the street. electrical wires dangling. the massive cleanup tonight in one american town. >>> rescue. thousands of people stranded on a vacation cruise ship, cut off from the world. and the lifeboat on the way to try to help them tonight. >>> and honor and valor. the emotional ceremony for a heroic soldier. the lesson he teaches about the american spirit. and an unlikely little star in a suit and tie. >>> good evening on this monday night. a centuries old tradition has been shattered by a surprise. pope benedict, chosen to be pope for life, today announced he will resign, citing his failing strength and health. and the toll of his seven years, nine months and 24 days as pope etched on his face. there he was, as we saw him on day one. and now, much thinner, frailer. this is unchartered territory for 1 billion catholics around the world. no pope has resigned in 598 years. and it's happening just 48 hours before the holy seaso

benedictxvisays he'll resign at the end of this month after only eight years as leader of the world's 1 billion roman catholics. he says it's because of his age and his health. and now the question being asked around the world, who will be the next pope? we're watching what's going on. we have several correspondents in rome. pope benedict's papacy has been marked by serious controversies, especially the sex abuse scandal and his prior role as the church's lead investigator personally handling every single case that made its way to the vatican. cnn's brian todd is working this part of the story for us. we're going to go to rome in just a few moments, but tell us what's going on. >> reporter: wolf, here at the basilica of the national shrine of the immaculate conception they were shocked as anyone. this is the spot where it was one the most talked about moments of his visit to the united states almost five years ago. the place where he addressed one of the biggest controversies of his tenure and there was certainly no shortage of those during his papacy. the scrutiny began before he even

on quicken loans. >>> good morning. it has not happened in more than 700 years, this morningpopebenedictxivannounced he will resign, saying he doesn't have the strength to go on. it shocked even new york's cardinal timothy dolan. >> i'm as startled as the roast of you, except for prayer, i don't know what else to do. i'll await instructions like everyone else. >> the 85 years old leader will step aside february 28th. the vatican says they hope to elect a new pope by easters. the pope made the announcement in latin, saying, quote, after having repeatedly examined my conscience before god, i have come to a certainly that my strengths are not -- the pope's declining health has been an issue. he goes to and from the altar on a moving platform, so he doesn't have to walk down the long aisle. sometimes he using a cane. his brothers says the doctors told hi not to take any more transatlantic trips. >>> he is also an nbc vattian analyst. george, good to see you. you and i are in somewhat frequent contact, as you send out notes about what's going on, but did anybody really see this coming? i no

. the number of priest says an ongoing concern. so i guess my question is what kind of church ispopebenedictleaving,and in particular as it relates to the american catholic. >> i think the pope is leaving behind a church in the united states that is in the strongest shape of any developed world. far stronger than western europe, stronger than latin america or canada. another quarter of a million will enter the catholic church this easter. seminaries in chicago, in maryland, at the north american college in rome are more full than they have been in 40 years, so there are real signs of vitality in the church in the united states. i think what we need to recognize, chris, is that this is a hinge moment in history. benedict xvi will be the last pope who attended the second vatican council, a significant theological adviser there. the next pope, whoever he is, will not have attended the second vatican council. so one era in the history of the catholic church and new era, which i describe in a book called evangelical catholicism, is about to open up. >>> people will be talking about it a lot in

. >> ultimately responsibility of love for the church. >>popebenedictwasa great pope and he followed in some big shoes and i think he did a beautiful job. >> but the announcement a shock to many. and now the catholic church must find its next leader. >> maybe they need somebody younger. a breath of fresh air. >> maybe it will be a chance for the church to regenerate. might ultimately be a good thing. >> bill: tonight, the possible frontrunners for the job and what we now know about the pope's decision to resign but we begin with today's stunning announcement that the pope is stepping down. i'm bill hemmer in tonight for shepard smith. the news reportedly came as a shock even to many at the vatican. after nearly 8 years on the job, pope benedict xvi will resign at the end of this month. his final day february 28th. the pope released a statement which reads in part that the governor the church quote both strength of mind and body are necessary strength which in the last few months have deteriorated in me to the extent that i have had to recognize my incapacity to adequately fulfill the ministr

priests to marry but critics feltpopebenedictxviwas not progressive enough for the changing times, supporters saw a steadfast leader who helped anchor their faith. >> today, this sets the stage for the vatican to find the successor by mid-march. reporting live in washington if abc7 news. >> thank you. stay with abc7 for continuing coverage of the resignation of pope benedict xvi. you can fine the latest information at abc7news.com and we will tweet immediate updates on twitter at abc7 news bay area. >> waking up, again, dry and clear this morning but we want to look at the whole week to see if there is needed rain in the forecast. mike? >> we need some rain. need some snow. do not have it in the forecast. sorry to start off that way this morning but it means an easy week of commuting weather-wise. here is a look at live doppler 7 hd, you can see everything is very quiet, with no radar runs and very dry air. temperatures from the mid-30's inland to the upper 30's to mid-40's around the bay right now. almost as cool as it was yesterday. temperatures will be in the mid-to-upper 50's

benedictxvihas announced his historic resignation. >> a pretty dramatic change. it means he'll go from wearing a robe all day to wearing a robe all day. >> "top gear" has shown a video of a helicopter racing a cobra with a disastrous ending. >> the end of the mardi gras season. >> i like it very much. >> all that -- >> the westminster dog show is back. >> keep mice from overrunning their mistresses' boudoirs. >> that's interesting. >> top ten questions on the application to become a swimsuit model. >> how does brent musburger describe you? >> and all that matters -- >> awarded the medal for courageous action. his son stole the show playing peek-a-boo. >> colin is not as shy as clint. >> on "cbs this morning." >> lightning struck the vatican just hours after pope benedict would be announ-- pope benedict announced his resignation. >> what will the pope do? he could become the most distinguished walmart greeter of all time. >>>, wi >>> welcome to "cbs this morning." nae north korea held its third nuclear test. >> president obama will in fact discuss the nuclear test during his state of th

the gunman worked at the plant. >>> human crowd at the vatican today to witnesspopebenedictxvi's final hours as head of the catholic church. it's a big couple of days. vinita nair joins us live from the vatican with more on the pope's sendoff and his retirement. good afternoon. >> reporter: good afternoon, it's a beautiful day here in rome. keep in mind, we're a lot of hours ahead for this general audience that wrapped up about three hours ago from where we are now but it was an unusual one in the sense that the pope traditionally takes this time to talk to tourists and followers about the catholic religion. but today he made it very personal aware that this was his last public audience. ♪ [ music ]♪ >> reporter: pope benedict rode through st. peter's square in his trademark popemobile for the last time. he kissed babies and waved to tens of thousands of people who gathered to see him. the 85-year-old delivered his final message after serving nearly 8 years as pontiff. pope benedict told the crowd he will keep the faithful in his prayers and has

event.benedict's decisionto resign sets the stage for a conclave to elect a new pope. by mid-march. by any luck, that would mean a po new pope would be in place before easter. ash wednesday begins this week. the most important 40 days in the catholic calendar. >> the most significant spiritual period. let's bring in dan harris. good morning, dan. >> this is rare, historic and a complete surprise to the people around the pope. this morning, in rome, he convened a meeting of top church officials. reading a statement in latin saying that he'll resign effective february 28th at 8:00 p.m. local time. he said in the last few months, that his mind and body, have quote, deteriorated. >> i'm shocked and startled as of all of you. >> reporter: this morning, reaction from new york's cardinal dolan. >> there's a somberness there. there's a sadness there. >> reporter: benedict, who's 85 years old, has been pope since april 2005 who took over for the immensely popular pope john paul ii. his papacy has been marked by controversy. the pope criticized for how he handled the situation in his p

around the world.popebenedictisretiring. something a pope hasn't done for nearly 600 years. the 85-year-old cites age.and fatigue. it's not what the cardinals called together today had expected to hear from their pope. benedict the 16th - saying he's just not up to the job anymore and is stepping down feb. 28th. the pope's brother says benedict actually made the decision nearly a year ago. after trips to mexico and cuba. he's nearly 86 and seems increasingly frail. still - a pope retiring is almost unheard of -- this is the last man to do it -- gregory the 12th - in 1415. benedict became pope in 2005.succeeding john paul the second. he may be worn down in part by controversy. almost from the start - he's been criticized for being part of the church hierarchy more worried about its reputation than the sexual abuse of children. as a german bishop in the 80's - he directly helped shield a priest who had abused children. and in 2001 - as a cardinal put in charge of dealing with the growing controversy - he wrote a letter ordering u.s. bishops - under pain of excommunication - to never

. >>> thank you, guys. a stunner in the catholicchurch.benedictisthe first pope in 600 years to leave on his own will. so the question is, who's next? i'm brooke baldwin. the news is now. he says he wants revenge on the lapd. now as this ex-cop remains on the run, police announce they're looking into his firing. >>> plus, yet another navy s.e.a.l. breaks his silence about the raid that killed osama bin laden. but this time, it's the guy who shot the world's most wanted terrorist. my panel weighs in. >>> and -- ♪ some nights i call >> they are arguably the hottest band in music right now. do you still feel like you're dreaming or has it hit you, your success? >> and you will hear my behind the scenes chat with grammy winners fun. [ lisa ] my name's lisa, and chantix helped me quit. i honestly loved smoking, and i honestly didn't think i would ever quit. [ male announcer ] along with support, chantix is proven to help people quit smoking. it reduces the urge to smoke. it put me at ease that you could smoke on the first week. [ male announcer ] some people had changes in behavior, thin

the world.popebenedictxvistepping down at the end of the month. he says because of his advanced age. he's no longer able to handle the demands of being pope. the last pope to resign was way back in 1415, i will have much more of what happens next. and what is ahead for the catholic church. >>> and former navy s.e.a.l. who reportedly fired the shot that killed osama bin laden, he says he has no pension, no medical insurance, according to an article in esquire magazine, the man known only as the soter packed a train to protect his family from al qaeda terrorists seeking revenge. i will talk with investigative reporter who talked to that navy s.e.a.l. in a few minutes. and the u.s. coast guard coming down to the rescue to help a cruise strip stranded in the gulf of mexico. more than 4200 passengers and crew all stuck on a carnival cruise line try ump that is getting as can you imagine a little funky, a little uncomfortable. a woman on board tells us that the toilets not working any more. a fire broke out on the ship yesterday, and was headed back to texas. that ship will be towed to the ne

popebenedictxvihad gathered the cardinals to mark three saints. during a meeting, he also announced his intention to resign at the end of the month. the holy father is 85 years old and despite his age, there had been little indication he would take this action. in a statement of the speech he gave to the cardinals, pope benedict said quote after having repeatedly examining my conscious before god, my strength due to an advance age are no longer suited to an adequate exercise. the pope is referring to saint peter, the first pope of the catholic church. in today's world subject to so many rapid changes and shaken by questions of deep relevance for the life of faith in order to govern both strength of mind and body are necessary. strength which in the last few months has deteriorated that i have had to recognize my capacity or incapacity it to fulfill the ministry and trusted to me. the pope added i thank you most sincerely for the love and support and i ask pardon. there is a report the pope's brother had said the doctor told the holy father he should no longer take trans at

>>> good morning, america. major bulletin right now.popebenedictresignifs a stunning announcement at the vatican. citing his advanced age and diminishing strength. the first pep to step down in almost 600 years. what this means for the catholic church. >>> going across the interstate. >> and breaking now, tornadoes slam the south. this massive twister through a town at the dinner hour. dozens of people injured. hundreds of homes destroyed. it looked like it was amile wide. new blizzards right now. >>> and good morning, america. a huge headline right now. pope benedict xvi moments ago making this announcement. speaking in lat on the a group of cardinals. and announcing his rezization. after having repeatedly examined my conscience before god, i have come to a certainty that my strengths, due to advanced age are no longer suited to an adequate carrying out of the ministry. >> the last pope to resign was pope gregory xii, almost 60 years ago. benedict's rescission to resign sets the stage for a clooichb to be -- conclave, to elect a new pope. ash wednesday begins this we

of men who have been appointed byeitherbenedictorjohn paul ii. so they're like-mended men. >> reporter: american catholics still make up the largest religious denomination in this country. but many believe if it wasn't for immigration from asia and latin america, their numbers would be on the decline. so will a new pope be able to change this course? that certainly is the question on the minds of many of the faithful. cecilia vega, abc news, san francisco. >> some say it's divine intervention. take a look at this lightning strike at the vatican. it touched the top of st. peter's basilica. and it got the attention of new york's archbishop during an interview with diane sawyer. >> have you seen these pictures today? >> no, what is this about? >> they say this happened today. >> wow! is that not something? boy, oh boy. a lot of pasta overcooked with this lightning strike. can you believe it at st. peter's? boy, another apt image. >> cardinal dolan will be among those choosing the next pope. here's something interesting. the cardinals are cut off from the entire world when the

benedicthaspacemaker in his heart long before being elected as pope back in 2005. months ago, we now know he had surgery to replace the pacemaker batteries, an operation that was conducted in absolute secrecy. vatican says it was routine. the shock waves continue to reverberate for catholics around the world and a lot of folks seem to have the same reaction, even if it's something the world hasn't seen in six centuries. >> i shows what a truly humble servant. he loved our church so much, he didn't let pride get in the way. >> probably we're in the right times and listen to the catholic church and new generation of catholics. >> its demanding job. it takes a special person at that age to handle the day to day and far reaching plans of the church. >> i appreciated the word father smith used, retiring. when you can't do the job, hand it over. >> retiring is something we have never thought of but his retirement years, vatican says he will be moved in the vatican owned villa, a monastery where crews are working on renovations. a handful of people at the vatican knew it was going to be the pope

that your family eats. that's coming up as well. >>> we begin in vatican city wherepopebenedictxviis spending his last full day as pope. he delivered his last speech. tens and thousands of people gathered in st. peter's square to hear what he had to say. >> recalling moments of joy and light during his last eight years leading the church but he said there were difficult times as well, which he said, quote, seemed like the lord was sleeping. >> the pope also talked about his resignation, calling it a tough decision to make. >> i continue with my prayers and ask each of you to pray for me and for the new pope. >> after the speech, the pope greeted crowds at his popemobile. of course, they are going to take a chopper to the papal summer residence outside the city of rome. >> christiane amanpour is joining us. details about how the pope will live his life out. pretty fascinating. we' we're. >> reporter: you're absolutely right. we are on unchartered waters. the last time this happened was 600 years ago. pope benedict xvi after tomorrow, a new pope elected sometime we can expect before

are getting word from a wire service that apparentlypopebenedictthe16th is about to resign. if you go back a year ago when he turned 85, there was some speculation that he might call it quits because of his declining health. there has been no additional update on why the pope is going to resign, but nonetheless the story is out there. we've got reporters on it. and as soon as we know why, we will share that with you. >>gretchen: that will be huge news obviously, so we'll keep you posted. let's go to the other top story which is the extreme weather alert. now we're talking about down south. a massive tornado caught on camera ripping through the heart of has -- hattiesburg, mississippi. >> happening right outside my hotel. check this out. look at that. >>gretchen: the devastating twister leaving at least 4,200 people without power. >> dude, that's insane. >> oh my! >> it's about to hit sam's. >>gretchen: as the tornado traveled down the main street, it mangled homes, businesses and several buildings on the campus of the university of southern mississippi. >> i saw it right around, as it was

that came out yesterday, thatpopebenedictisresigning at the end of the month. at age 85, the pope says he does not have the strength to carry out his duties any longer. >> the surprising decision has far-reaching imply faces for the millions of catholics around the world. abc's nick schifrin reports from vatican city. >> reporter: good morning, rob. good morning, diana. pope benedict is a shy leader but a reminder of the man they used to call god's rottweiller. unpredictabili unpredictability, unprecedented and it might just guarantee his legacy. at 85, he's silver haired and cerebral and says he simply can't keep up. pope benedict xvi told his cardinals he had become so infirm, "i've had to recognize my incapacity to adequately fulfill the ministry entrusted to me." in the last year, benedict grew increasingly frail. >> he certainly slowed down a bit. you can tell he had trouble negotiating steps. he started using the cane several months ago. >> reporter: but the german pope never slowed down. putting the church on an orthodox path. he opposed homosexuality and female priests. he trie

on this breaking story. >>> there is more information about the sudden resignation of popebenedictxvi. the pontiff said he is stepping aside because he does not have the strength of mind or body. catholic officials hope to elect a news pope before easter. danielle nottingham has the latest from the vatican. >> reporter: the crowds in st. peter's square are speculating about who will replace pope benedict xvi. some feel the time has come for more diversity in the catholic church. >> perhaps it will be good to have a black pope. >> i'm have south america, from venezuela, and we hope to get a pope from another country. >> i don't think it matters where they're from, as long as they're wel open thelogically to welcoming in as many people into the church as possible. >> reporter: names are surfacing. cardinal peter turkson from ghana, could be the first black pope. cardinal sand ri of argentina is considered the top candidate from latin america. and andrew skoala is considered one of the strongest european candidates. pope benedict is stepping down bec

: see you tomorrow. bill: it is a day of history truly. in less than two hourspopebenedictxvideparts the vatican as pope for the last time, a remarkable event that has not happened in some 600 years. long before cable. good morning, everybody we'll watch this together. i'm bill hemmer, welcome to "america's newsroom." lovely color. martha: lovely scene there in rome. it is incredible to watch. good morning, everybody. i'm martha. the pope is expected to depart the papal residence today. he will get on a helicopter. that will happen 11:00 our time. you will see it here on "america's newsroom". bill: the pontiff holding a final audience with the cardinals, the church leaders that will choose his successor from among their own ranks. his holiness sharing a brief, private moment with each one of the cardinals. he will stand behind their choice as he prays for them and the next pope in the coming days. >> translator: among you in the college of cardinals, there is the future pope to whom already today i promise my unconditional reference and obedience. for all this with love and gratefuln

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